BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Jefferson County Commission continues to play catch up with past due invoices as its finance committee today approved a resolution to pay $49,000 to a vendor not paid since Oct. 1.

The committee recommended payment of $49,007 to a regional Mental Health Authority for services provided at the county's family court.

The full commission will vote Thursday.

Last month, officials with the Meals on Wheels program said they could halt operations if the county did not pay past due invoices. The county eventually paid.

In November, the commission was told nearly $200,000 was owed to vendors who provided services for Jefferson County seniors. The contracts had expired Sept. 30 and a process was not in place to pay vendors who continued to provide the services, according to the county manager's office.

County officials said part of the problem was a dispute with the personnel board over whether some of the work could be done by merit system workers.

"The vendors are still providing the services while we are arguing with the personnel board over these contracts," said Randy Jones, of Jefferson County Family Court.

However, Commissioner Joe Knight said the committee's actions today were separate from the dispute with the personnel board over merit system workers.

The county has argued that some of the work provided by the mental health authority can't be performed "in-house." For example, the county's contract with JBS calls for a psychiatrist and psychologist.

"Neither of these classifications exists in the merit system," County Manager Tony Petelos said.

Petelos also said the agreement with JBS is more economical than if the personnel board created positions for a psychiatrist, who earns on average $188,609 annually in Birmingham.

He also said that the Jefferson County Youth Advocacy program calls for Community Care Advocates which are specific to each child.

"These types of services are traditionally performed by community organizations and Family Court knows of no other county in the state that has attempted to perform these duties 'in-house,'" Petelos wrote to the personnel board in April.